CHAPTER FOUR
924 Words
THE MASK FALLS OFF-
LUNA'S POV-
I thought I had finally learned my lesson.
After Jake, I promised myself I would never ignore red flags again. So when Xavier started changing, I didn't rush to blame myself this time-I started watching carefully.
And what I saw... I didn't like.
The same guy who used to send me random "you're funny " messages now replied like I was disturbing his peace. The same Xavier who would stay up talking to me until I slept now acted like replying to me was a favor.
Then one night, everything became clear.
He texted me like nothing had changed.
"Hey... miss you."
I stared at the message for a long time before replying.
"Funny. You've been acting like I don't exist."
He left me on read.
Hours later, he came back with something worse.
"I've been stressed. Don't start acting like those dramatic girls."
That line alone told me everything I needed to know.
But I still gave him a chance to explain himself.
And that's when the real Xavier showed up.
He started talking about "love" in a way that didn't feel like love at all. More like pressure. Like demands. Like I owed him something to prove I cared.
When I refused certain things he was hinting at, his tone changed completely.
"Then what's the point of us?"
That question hit me hard-but not because I was confused. Because I finally understood what I was to him.
A distraction. A backup plan. A temporary escape from his real life,and situation with is girlfriend.
And that was when I asked him the question I should've asked a long time ago.
"If you really loved me... why does it always come with pleasure?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Then he said the most insulting thing of all:
"You think too much. I'm just trying to show love my own way."
No. That wasn't love. That was control hiding behind excuses.
I ended the chat that night.
No shouting. No begging. No drama.
Just silence.
But silence doesn't mean peace.
Because the next day, I found out something else-
Xavier wasn't just "confused." He had been doing this with someone else too. Same pattern. Same sweet words. Same lies. Just different girls, different stories.
And suddenly, it all made sense.
Jake wasn't my first mistake.
Xavier wasn't my second.
They were just different versions of the same lesson:
Some people don't come to love you.
They come to use you until you wake up.
LUNA'S FINAL THOUGHTS-
This time, I didn't cry.
I didn't ask "why me?"
I just sat there... staring at my phone... finally seeing everything clearly.
And for the first time in a long time, I chose myself.
THE AFTERMATH-
LUNA'S POV-
I thought cutting Xavier off would bring peace immediately.
It didn't.
Instead, it brought silence that felt loud.
No "good morning." No late-night jokes. No random "are you okay?" messages.
Just me... and my thoughts.
And that's the dangerous part-when your mind starts replaying everything.
Every sweet word. Every fake promise. Every moment you ignored what your gut was trying to say.
But this time, I refused to go back.
Then one evening, my phone lit up.
Xavier.
I didn't even open the message immediately. I just stared at his name like it had no power over me anymore.
Finally, I opened it.
"Luna, you're overreacting. I didn't mean it like that. You know I care about you."
I almost laughed.
Because suddenly, "I care about you" sounded like a line I had already survived before.
I replied once.
"You don't care about me. You care about access to me."
Seen.
No reply after that",
So I wasn't special.
I was just part of a pattern.
A rotation.
A habit.
That hurt more than anything he had done.
LUNA'S POV-
That night, I didn't sleep.
Not because I missed him.
But because I finally understood something important.
Some people don't lose you and feel pain.
They lose you and replace you.
Like nothing happened.
Like you were never real.
A FEW DAYS LATER-
I saw him.
Not in my dreams. Not in my thoughts.
In real life.
At the estate entrance.
He smiled like nothing had happened.
Like he didn't break anything.
Like I was still the same girl who would fall for his words.
"Luna," he said softly.
I didn't answer immediately.
Then he stepped closer.
"I miss us."
That word-us-almost made me lose it.
Because there was never an "us."
There was just me... trying to understand someone who was never honest with me.
I finally spoke.
"Don't call it us. It was never that deep for you."
His smile faded a little.
He tried again.
"You're different. I swear I didn't mean to hurt you."
But this time, I didn't shake.
I didn't soften.
I didn't fall for the voice I used to mistake for love.
Instead, I said something I never thought I would say so calmly:
"Then learn how to stop hurting people you claim to care about."
And I walked away.
LUNA'S FINAL REALIZATION-
I used to think love was supposed to confuse you.
Make you question yourself.
Make you chase clarity.
But now I know better.
Love doesn't leave you guessing.
It doesn't make you feel small.
It doesn't require begging for respect.
And it definitely doesn't come with lies wrapped in sweet words.
And Xavier?
He wasn't my lesson because he made me think I loved him.
He was my lesson because I finally realized I didn't.
- Writer
